Person

Samuel Hunter was born on 22 June 1896 in Byers Green. His father was William Hunter who was born in 1865 in Cumberland and worked as a stoneman in a coal mine. His mother was Isabella Hunter nee Greenwell who was born in 1866 in Pelton Fell. Samuel was one of eight children in their family of four girls and four boys. In 1901 the family lived at 19 Brockwell Street, Byers Green and by the time of the 1911 census had moved to 28 Deane Street, Shotton Colliery.

Samuel Hunter worked at a local coal mine and like a host of other pit lads from Horden, Easington, and Shotton Colliery joined the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) at the start of the war and served as stokers. This included his cousin, Thomas Hunter, who was born in Hetton-le-Hole one day later than Samuel’s birth date. Both cousins served on HMS Indefatigable.

HMS Indefatigable was a battlecruiser that spent two years in the Mediterranean and carried out the first British attack on the Dardanelles following the commencement of hostilities between Ottoman Turkey and Russia. The ship returned to England in February 1915 and conducted uneventful patrols of the North Sea for the next year and a half.

Indefatigable was sunk on 31 May1916 during the Battle of Jutland, the largest naval battle of the war. She was hit several times in the first minutes of the opening phase of the battlecruiser action. Shells from the German battlecruiser Von der Tann caused one explosion that ripped a hole in her hull while a second explosion hurled large pieces of the ship in the air. Samuel and his cousin, Thomas, died amongst 1,017 crewmates. Samuel’s body was not recovered for burial and he is remembered on the Chatham Naval Memorial.

Samuel Hunter was awarded the Star, Victory Medal and British War Medal for his service in World War One.

Civil Parish: Byers Green

Birth date: 22-Jun-1896

Death date: 31-May-1916

Armed force/civilian: Navy

Residence: 19 Brockwell Street, Byer’s Green (1901 census)
28 Deane Street, Shotton Colliery (1911 census)

Employment: Coal miner

Family: Parents: William Hunter (1865), Isabella Hunter nee Greenwell (1866)
Siblings: James Hunter (1888), Mary Edith Hunter (1890), Margaret Jane Hunter (1892), William Rowland Hunter (1894), Maude Hunter (1900), Louisa Kate Hunter (1903), Wilfred Hunter (1907)

Military service:

5874/S
Stoker
HMS Indefatigable

Medal(s): 1914/15 Star
Victory Medal
British War Medal

Memorial(s): Chatham Naval Memorial

Gender: Male

Contributed by David D, Stanley, Co Durham